At Home: Sites teach safety, both online and off
Sites teach safety, both online and off
By ANNE REEKS
For The Chronicle
When it comes to safety, computers giveth and taketh away parental peace of mind.
The truth is, it's impossible to talk about protecting children without calling attention to dangers from violent games, excessive use, cyber-bullying and predators.
The same goes for kids' real-world activities. Addressing safety related to guns, swimming pools and strangers inevitably adds to worries.
But that's a good thing, provided we grown-ups translate angst into action and set reasonable rules, guide and supervise children, keep the lines of communication open and set a positive example by our behavior. The family computer can also help with virtual and other perils.
The NetSmartz Workshop (ages 5-17, free, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children/Boys & Girls Clubs of America, www.NetSmartz.org) Clever characters, cartoons and games, snappy raps and lots of 3-D dazzle distinguish this veteran Internet safety site, being re-launched today with a spiffy new slogan.
"Use Your NetSmartz," or "UYN" in chat-speak, serves as a rallying cry across the constellation of content. It refers to NetSmartz's three tenets: Tell a trusted adult if something makes you feel scared or uncomfortable; ask a parent or guardian before giving out personal information; and don't meet in person with online friends.
NetSmartz has sections for children, teenagers and parents. But the kids area (www.NetSmartzKids.org) offers the richest store of goodies, including lively arcade and 3-D games on everything from privacy to piracy. The songs are infectious. Spokes-robot Clicky's rhythmic anthem is still stuck in my head: "Hey, kids, be smart, and listen to me/I am Clicky, the king of online safety."
Clicky and siblings Nettie and Webster appear throughout, spouting the UYN message. But NetSmartz doesn't neglect bad guys, such as Hot-Head, who uses rude language online and looks like a flaming potato.
My favorite is a sneakier villain, Numbut, a little fellow with dizzying spiral eyes and no life away from the computer. He's dangerous but easy to thwart. Just spend less time glued to the screen.
What's The Safest Thing to Do? (ages 4-8, $26.95, SafetyTots International, Win/Mac, www.safetytots.com) That one seemingly simple question is posed in 35 charmingly drawn scenes. A diverse cast of kids confronts dangerous situations, such as playing by a pool, being offered a ride, getting lost in a store, chasing a ball and climbing on counters.
Children choose what to do from four possibilities, narrated in amusingly childish voices. The solution can be subtle. For instance, when Patrick and Eddy find a gun in a cabinet, the first choice is "Just move away and don't touch it." But the correct answer adds "and tell an adult right away."
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: Sites teach safety, both online and off
By ANNE REEKS
For The Chronicle
When it comes to safety, computers giveth and taketh away parental peace of mind.
The truth is, it's impossible to talk about protecting children without calling attention to dangers from violent games, excessive use, cyber-bullying and predators.
The same goes for kids' real-world activities. Addressing safety related to guns, swimming pools and strangers inevitably adds to worries.
But that's a good thing, provided we grown-ups translate angst into action and set reasonable rules, guide and supervise children, keep the lines of communication open and set a positive example by our behavior. The family computer can also help with virtual and other perils.
The NetSmartz Workshop (ages 5-17, free, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children/Boys & Girls Clubs of America, www.NetSmartz.org) Clever characters, cartoons and games, snappy raps and lots of 3-D dazzle distinguish this veteran Internet safety site, being re-launched today with a spiffy new slogan.
"Use Your NetSmartz," or "UYN" in chat-speak, serves as a rallying cry across the constellation of content. It refers to NetSmartz's three tenets: Tell a trusted adult if something makes you feel scared or uncomfortable; ask a parent or guardian before giving out personal information; and don't meet in person with online friends.
NetSmartz has sections for children, teenagers and parents. But the kids area (www.NetSmartzKids.org) offers the richest store of goodies, including lively arcade and 3-D games on everything from privacy to piracy. The songs are infectious. Spokes-robot Clicky's rhythmic anthem is still stuck in my head: "Hey, kids, be smart, and listen to me/I am Clicky, the king of online safety."
Clicky and siblings Nettie and Webster appear throughout, spouting the UYN message. But NetSmartz doesn't neglect bad guys, such as Hot-Head, who uses rude language online and looks like a flaming potato.
My favorite is a sneakier villain, Numbut, a little fellow with dizzying spiral eyes and no life away from the computer. He's dangerous but easy to thwart. Just spend less time glued to the screen.
What's The Safest Thing to Do? (ages 4-8, $26.95, SafetyTots International, Win/Mac, www.safetytots.com) That one seemingly simple question is posed in 35 charmingly drawn scenes. A diverse cast of kids confronts dangerous situations, such as playing by a pool, being offered a ride, getting lost in a store, chasing a ball and climbing on counters.
Children choose what to do from four possibilities, narrated in amusingly childish voices. The solution can be subtle. For instance, when Patrick and Eddy find a gun in a cabinet, the first choice is "Just move away and don't touch it." But the correct answer adds "and tell an adult right away."
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: Sites teach safety, both online and off
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